Document imprinter for credit cards or the like

ABSTRACT

An imprinter for transferring indicia from a credit card or the like to a sales slip or similar document has a reciprocal carriage with a printing roller mounted on a rocking bail. The printing roller can thus assume a printing position when moved in one direction, and a raised non-printing position on the return stroke to prevent overprinting. The rocking of the bail is accomplished by retractive stops positioned on the printing bed. The stops are constructed to actuate the bail when contacted in one direction, and to move or flex to permit the bail to pass over when contacted in the opposite direction.

United States Patent St. Onge et al.

[4 1 Dec. 5, 1972 [s41 DOCUMENT IMPRINTER FOR CREDIT CARDS OR THE LIKE Inventors: Ronald .I. St. Onge, Stamford;

Charles 1. Sherman, Norwalk, both of Conn.

[73] Assignee: Pitney-Bowes, lnc., Stamford, Conn.

221 Filed: on. 26, 1970 i [21] Appl. No.: 83,759

[52] US. Cl ..101/269, 101/285 [51] Int. Cl. ..B4lf 3/20 [58] Field of Search ..101/269, 252, 260, 264; 74/89, 74/99 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,260,199 7/1966 Huntley et a1. ..101/269 830,617 9/1906 Schlesinger 1,985,701 12/1934 Vandercooket a1 ..101/269 I f x 3,083,641 4/1963 Childs et a1 ..101/269 3,446,144 5/1969 Frampton et a1 ..101/269 3,515,060 6/1970 Barbour ..101/269 X Primary Examiner-Clyde l. Coughenour Attorney-Blair St. Onge and Mayers, William D. Soltow and Robert E. Meyer ABSTRACT An imprinter for transferring indicia from a credit card or the like to a sales slip or similar document has a reciprocal carriage with a printing roller mounted on 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 1 "Ki/-64 4 [12, 4 :5, 60 I I r: Al\ V/ ////i PATENTED E 5 i972 SHEET 2 0F 3 V/////// iv/h l/// a V THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the advent of the widespread use of credit cards, a need has arisen for an efficient and durable imprinting mechanism for transferring indicia from the card to a sales slip or similar document. The imprinter, however, should be economical so as to recommend its use to the many small merchants who must honor creditcards in order for a credit card system to be viable. I

Many of the prior art imprinters have been complex in construction making them uneconomical for mass use by merchants. The more complicated mechanisms are also more prone to breakdown, and breakdown of a mechants imprinter eliminates the possibility of using a credit card at his establishment. This may create a hardship for the merchant whose customers expect unrestricted use of their credit cards, and it creates ill will among credit card customers.

Additionally, complex prior art imprinters, and other types of imprinters which rely on actuating mechanisms which are subject to fatigue and/or corrosion, are not suitable for applications where they may be exposed to the elements or to corrosive substances. This is a particular problem in automobile service stations, a principal source of credit card sales. Examples of such prior art imprinters are shown in US. Pat. Nos. 3,260,199; 3,388,660; 3,045,589 and 3,283,711.

Accordingly representative objects of the present invention are to provide an imprinter for credit cards or the like which is simple in construction, durable, dependable and economical.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, andthe scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an imprinter for credit cards or the like, and more particularly to an imprinter comprising a roller which assumes a lowered, printing position when moved in one direction, and a raised, non-printing position on the return stroke so as to prevent overprinting on a sales slip or similar document.

In general the imprinter of the invention comprises a bed having thereon means for holding in superimposed position a credit card or similar typographical plate and a sales slip. A carriage is mounted for reciprocal movement over the bed, the carriage comprising a printing roller mounted on a rocking bail. The bail acts to pivot the printing roller downward during the forward stroke of the carriage so that the roller will press against and cause an imprint to be transferred from the card to the sales slip. Similarly, during the return stroke of the carriage the bail is pivoted upward to raise the roller; this serves to prevent a second overprint which will otherwise obliterate or smudge the original imprint if there is any change in registration, and it prevents tearing of the relatively fragile sales slip.

The raising and lowering of the bail may be accomplished in several ways in accordance with the invention. In one embodiment an extension of the bail contacts stop members which are positioned on either side of the means holding the sales slip, causing the bail to pivot in the desired manner. The stops, however, are

' resilient, flexible or movable in a manner which permits them to retract under pressure from the bail extension on the reverse stroke after the bail has been pivoted. This enables the carriage to pass with minimal resistarice. Alternatively, a pivoted lever is provided on the bail to contact the stops and in turn rock the bail in the proper direction in the course of each stroke.

The stops, and the rocking bail mechanism used in the imprinter of the invention are simple in construction long lasting, and reliable due to their positive interaction. Moreover, these constructions permit the use of substantially non-fatiguing, and weather and corrosion resistant materials which enable the imprinter to be used in a wide range of applications and environments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the imprinter of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the means for supporting and holding in superimposed position a credit card and sales slip.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the printing roller and rocking bail construction of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a broken sectional view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3 and showing the means for rocking the bail, and the printing and non-printing positions of the roller.

. FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing another embodiment of rocking bail and printing roller construction.

FIG. 6 isa sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and showing the means for rocking the bail, and the printing and non-printing positions of the roller for this embodiment.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged, partial sectional views showing other embodiments of the retractive stops of the invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, the imprinter comprises a supporting base 10, the top surface 12 of which forms'a bed for the imprinting operation. Bed 12 is preferably provided with one or more raised anvils l4 and 16 which have co-planar upper surfaces and serve to support both the credit card and sales slip in the proper superimposed relationship during operation of the imprinter. Anvils l4 and 16 may be formed as integral raised portions of bed 12 or they may be separate parts which are either permanently or removably secured to the bed. The use of removable anvils is particularly desirable in those instances where the sizes and shapes of the credit cards and sales slips to be used on the imprinter may vary. It will be understood that anvil 14, which will typically be used to support the credit card, is normally provided with a raised rim, stops or some similar conventional means to prevent the credit card from slipping off during imprinting. The imprinter may also be'provided with a variable digit wheel 18 adjacent anvils l4 and 16 to provide a means for additionally imprinting the date, transaction number or the like onto the sales slip.

The imprinter is further provided with a movable carriage 20which is mounted on base for reciprocal movement over bed 12. As shown in the drawings, carriage 20 is constructed for manual operation; however, it will be understood that carriage 20 may also be automatically operated by means of a drive v mechanism which provides reciprocal movement. Carriage 20 comprises a hollow housing 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which has a pair of beveled rollers 24 and 26 journalled to the lower extremities 22a and 22b of each side thereof. Roller pairs 24 and 26 in turn respectively ride within a pair of beveled channel tracks 28 and 30 provided in the two longitudinal edges of base 10. Roller pairs 24 and 26 thus enable carriage 20 to be reciprocally moved over bed 12 as previously described. The upper portion of carriage 20 is preferably provided in the shape of a handle 32 so as to facilitate manual manipulation.

Carriage 20 carries within its hollow interior a printing roller supported on a rocking bail which permits the roller to be pivoted between printing and non-printing positions. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one e'mbodiment of the invention printing roller 34 is journalled between the opposite legs 36 and 38 of a U-shaped bail 40. Roller 34 is preferably formed of an elastomeric material such as plastic, rubber or the like and may comprise a single roller of uniform diameter or, as shown, a plurality of separate or joined roller segments 34a and 34)) mounted on a common shaft 42. Where separate roller segments are used, each corresponds in position to one area where imprinting is to'be accomplished on a document. Bail 40 is in turn pivotally mounted on a rod 44 which extends across the interior of carriage 20 on a supporting yoke 46. Yoke 46 is secured to a boss 48 on the upper interior surface of housing 22 by means of screws or rivets 50 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the arrangement of bail 40 within housing 20 enables it to rock and therefore pivot printing roller 34 between a non-printing position (solid lines) in which roller 34 is raised above anvils 14 and 16, in a lowered printing position (dotted lines) wherein roller 34 can contact a credit card and superimposed sales slip on the anvil means with sufficient pressure to cause imprinting to occur.

Bail 40 and printing roller 34 are maintained in the raised, non-printing position by the frictional engagement of a pair of spring urged caps 52 and 54 (FIG. 3) which are mounted to the ends of a pair of shafts 56 and 58 projecting laterally from legs 36 and 38 of bail 40. Caps 52 and 54 are made from a relatively high friction material and, as seen in FIG. 3 will maintain a frictional contact with the inner surface of housing 22 at all times so as to keep bail 40 in any desired position to which it is rocked. The shafts56 and 58 on which caps 52 and 54 are mounted may be extensions of roller shaft 42 as shown in FIG. 3 or they may be separate shafts mounted to bail 40.

The actuation of bail 40 between printing and nonprintingpositions' is accomplished, as shown in FIG. 4, by a pair of retractive stops 60 and 62 positioned on either side of the anvils (FIG. 1). Stops 60 and 62 are preferably formed from a flexible strip material such as stiff plastic or spring steel, and are each secured to bed 12 adjacent the anvils. The stiff plastic version is especially preferredfor resistance to fatigue and corrosion. The free ends of stops 60 and 62 preferably project upward at an acute angle from bed 12 as shown in FIG. 4, thus being in line to contact an actuator portion 38a on one leg of bail 40.

Still referring to FIG. 4, in operation bail 40 and printing roller 34 are in a raised, non-printing position when carriage 20 is at the far right extreme of its reciprocal path. It can be seenthat as carriage 20 is manually moved to the left, actuator portion 380 on bail 40 will contact the free end of stop 62 whichwill cause bail 40 to rotate ina counterclockwise direction until it reaches a printing position (shown by the dotted lines) wherein the legs of bail 40 are urged against a limit block 64 within housing 22. As carriage 20 continues moving to the left, roller34 is brought into engagement with a credit card and sales slip superimposed on anvils 14 and 16, and roller 34 is urged over the superimposed assembly through positive pressure from limit block 64. Once clearing the anvils, actuator portion 380 next contacts the free end of stop 60; however, because of the flexible nature of stop 60, actuator portion 38a readily passes thereover as the pressure from the actuator portion causes the free end of stop 60 to retract downward toward bed 12. A relieved portion 66 may be provided in bed 12 under stop 60 to insure that actuator portion 38a will pass smoothly thereover.

After reaching the far left extreme of its travel, carriage 20isthen moved back to the right to complete one imprinting stroke. In this direction as actuator portion 38a contacts the free end of stop 60, it is met by resistance which causes bail 40 to rock back to a raised, non-printing position as shown by the solid lines. This motion is arrested when printing wheel 34 comes. into contact with the inner surface of housing 22. In its raised, non-printing position roller 34 easily clears any sales slip and credit card on the anvil means on the return stroke. Accordingly, no overprinting occurs with its undesirable results of smudging or tearing of the sales slip. On the return stroke, actuator portion 38a readily rides over the free end of stop 62 which retracts under pressure toward the relieved area 68 preferably provided thereunder in bed 12. Thus, carriage 20 is readily returned to its initial position to complete one imprint cycle, and with printing roller 34 again in a raised, non-printing position in readiness for the initiation of a second cycle.

Retractive stops 60 and 62 may be provided in other forms than the flexible strip embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a retractive stop 69 comprising a stop button 70 mounted on a resilient member such as a spring 72. Stop 69is preferably mounted within a recess 74 which will typically be provided in the bed 10 of the imprinter. Stop or button of resilient material such as rubber.

Another form of retractive stop is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and comprises a stop arm 76 having an end 78 of suitable dimension to contact and actuate the bail mechanism of the imprinter. Stop arm 76 is preferably connected with a coil spring 79 mounted on a post 80 in a manner which enables it to rotate and retract out of the way when contacted under pressure from one direction, that is from the right as shown in FIG. 8, and which makes it more resistant to movement when contacted under pressure from the opposite direction. As with the retractive stops shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, stop arm 76 and spring 78 are preferably formed from a fatigue and corrosion resistant material such as steel. It will be understood that stop arm 76 and spring 78 may be formed integrally as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, or they may be formed in two separate but interconnected parts. Also, as with the retractive stops previously discussed, stop arm 76 and spring 78 are preferably provided in a suitable recess 82 in the base 10 of the imprinter. I

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown another embodiment of the imprinter which is similar in all respects to the embodiment of FIG. 3 except for the construction of the rocking bail mechanism. In this embodiment bail 40 is pivotally supported on a shaft 84 which in turn is suspended within housing 22 and supported by the yoke 46. A lever arm pivot rod 86 also extends through supporting yoke 46 and out to the interior wall of housing 22. Pivotally suspended from rod 86 is a lever arm 88 (FIG. 6) having a tip 90 which hangs adjacent to bed 12 of the imprinter. Lever arm 88 is further journalled about the shaft 92 which supports spring urged caps 52 and 54. Caps 52 and 54 serve the same function as the similar caps shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, however, it will be noted that shaft 92 is also journalled through ball 40 so that ball 40 can rock thereon as well as on shaft 84. I

As shown in FIG. 6, the motion of bail 40 and roller 34 in this embodiment is quite similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. As carriage is moved from its extreme right end position in which printing roller 34 and bail 40 are in a raised, non-printing position, tip 90 of lever arm 88 contacts the free end of retractive stop 62. This causes lever arm 88 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about rod 86, urging shaft 92 to the right. The motion of shaft 92 in turn causes bail 40 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about shaft 84 until the legs of bail 40 contact limit block 64. The rocking bail mechanism is thus moved to place roller 34 in a lowered, printing position as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 6. Imprinting is then accomplished in the manner previously discussed as printing roller 34 moves over anvils 14 and 16. When tip 90 of lever arm 88 contacts retractive stop 60 near the left extreme of its stroke, stop 60, due to its flexible nature as previously discussed, will retract under the pressure of lever arm 88 to allow carriage 20 to pass freely thereover. On the return stroke of carriage 20, tip 90 of lever arm 88 similarly contacts the free end of stop 60 to reverse the procedure and rotate bail 40 and printing roller 34 back to a raised, non-printing position as shown by the solid lines.

It will be understood that the retractive stops 60 and 62 used in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 may also be replaced by the retractive stop constructions shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. Alternatively, fixed non-retractive stops may be used in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6. When fixed stops are used they are positioned on the imprinter bed in position to contact tip of lever arm 88 adjacent the extreme right and left hand positions of its stroke. Also, it will be seen that in order to use fixed stops, the direction of rotationof lever arm 88 as well as the direction in which bail 40 isrocked should be reversed from the positions shown in FIG. 6.

Any of the previously discussed embodiments of the imprinter may also be provided witha spring clamp 94, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to aidin keeping the sales slip or other document to be imprinted in a fixed position. Spring clamp 94 comprises a clamping arm 96 preferably having a pair of clamping tabs 96a and 96b projecting therefrom toward anvils 14 and 16. Clamping arm 96 is mountedon a pivot 98 so as to underlie the printing roller 34 when carriage 20 is at an extreme position of its stroke and when roller 34 is in a raised, non-printing position. Clamping arm 96 is further provided with an inclined portion 960 up which roller 34 can ride to urge arm 96 downward against the biasing force of a coil spring 100. As shown in FIG. 2, in this position clamping tabs 96a and 96b will be automatically raised up from an underlying clamping block 102 so that the end of a sales slip can be inserted thereunder. Then, as carriage 20 is moved manually to the left to begin an imprint cycle, the pressure of roller 34 upon inclined portion 960 is slowly released allowing clamping arm 96 to pivot counterclockwise under the urging of spring 100. In this way clamping tabs 96a and 96b are urged down onto block 102 to secure the sales slip in place during the imprinting cycle. It will also be seen that at the end of the imprinting cycle clamping arm 96 is again automatically raised by carriage 20 to release the sales slip and permit the insertion of another for subsequent imprinting.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination:

A. a bed B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at least partially superimposed relationship,

C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising,

l. a printing roller disposed with its axis parallel and transverse to said bed,

. 2. a rocking bail mechanism supporting said printing roller and acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and

D. at least one retractive stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated 1. to contact said bail mechanism and rock same thereby pivoting said roller to one or the other said positions when said bail mechanism passes in one direction, and

2. to retract under pressure from said bail mechanism to allow said bail mechanism to pass in the opposite direction.

2. A document imprinter as defined in claim 1 wherein said flexible strip forms an acute angle with said bed.

3. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination:

A. a bed B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at least partially superimposed relationship,

C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising,

l. a printing roller disposed with its axis parallel and transverse to said bed, I

2. a rocking bail supporting said printing roller and having an actuator portion thereon, said bail acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and

D. at least one retractive stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvilmeans in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated 1. to contact said actuator portion and rock said bail to pivot said printing roller to one or the other said positions when said actuator portion passes over in one direction, and

2. to retract under pressure from said actuator portion to allow said actuator portion to pass over inthe opposite direction withoutrocking said bail.

4. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination:

A. a bed v B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at least partially superimposed relationship,

C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising,

1. a printing rollerdisposed with its axis parallel and transverse to said bed, 2. a rocking bail supporting said printing roller and acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and 3. a lever arm pivotally secured to said bail and acting to rock said bail when said lever arm is pivoted, and D. at least one stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated 1. to contact and pivot said lever arm to rock said bail mechanism and pivot said printing roller to one or the other said positions when said lever arm engages one said stop adjacent the end of carriage travel in one direction, and 2. to retract under pressure from said lever arm to allow said lever arm to pass over in the opposite direction without pivoting said bail. 

1. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination: A. a bed B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at least partially superimposed relationship, C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising,
 1. a printing roller disposed with its axis parallel and transverse to said bed,
 2. a rocking bail mechanism supporting said printing roller and acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and D. at least one retractive stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated
 1. to contact said bail mechanism and rock same thereby pivoting said roller to one or the other said positions when said bail mechanism passes in one direction, and
 2. to retract under pressure from said bail mechanism to allow said bail mechanism to pass in the opposite direction.
 2. to retract under pressure from said lever arm to allow said lever arm to pass over in the opposite direction without pivoting said bail.
 2. a rocking bail supporting said printing roller and acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and
 2. to retract under pressure from said actuator portion to allow said actuator portion to pass over in the opposite direction without rocking said bail.
 2. a rocking bail supporting said printing roller and having an actuator portion thereon, said bail acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and D. at least one retractive stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated
 2. A document imprinter as defined in claim 1 wherein said flexible strip forms an acute angle with said bed.
 2. to retract under pressure from said bail mechanism to allow said bail mechanism to pass in the opposite direction.
 2. a rocking bail mechanism supporting said printing roller and acting, when rocked, to pivot said roller between a printing position closely adjacent said anvil means and a non-printing position spaced from said anvil means, and D. at least one retractive stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated
 3. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination: A. a bed B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at least partially superimposed relationship, C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising,
 3. a lever arm pivotally secured to said bail and acting to rock said bail when said lever arm is pivoted, and D. at least one stop member positioned on each opposite side of said anvil means along the direction of carriage movement, said stops comprising a flexible strip anchored to said bed at one end, with the free end thereof directed away from said anvil means in the direction of carriage movement, said stops each being situated
 4. A document imprinter for use with a typographical plate or the like comprising, in combination: A. a bed B. anvil means on said bed for supporting a typographical plate and a document in at lEast partially superimposed relationship, C. a carriage supported for reciprocal movement over said bed, said carriage comprising, 